Method of making semiconductor component with sheet metal connector leads

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor p-n junction device having a monocrystalline body, preferably of silicon, is equipped with connector leads which are punched out of sheet material and are soldered to the electrodes of the device. Each connector lead has at least one springy clamping lug protruding toward the other connector lead and located beside a clamping lug of another connector lead. The semiconductor body is clamped between the lugs of two adjacent connector leads and is soldered thereto.

United States Patent Mosch et al.

[ July 23, 1974 METHOD OF MAKING SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT WITH SHEETMETAL CONNECTOR LEADS Inventors: Willi Mosch, Munich; Gerhard Lutz,Erlangen; Heinz Martin,

Munich,all of Germany h Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft,

Munich, Berlin, Germany Filed: Oct. 13, 1970 Appl. No.: 80,465

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 18,797, March 16,1970, abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 719,193, April 5,1968, abandoned.

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 8, 1967 Germany 109258 US. Cl29/588, 29/589, 29/591 Int. Cl B01] 17/00 Field of Search 29/576 S, 589,588, 630 G, 29/591; 174/3 FP; 113/119,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,076,253 2/1963 Cornelisonet al 29/25.3 3,348,105 10/1967 Doyle 317/234 3,444,441 5/1969 Helda eta1. 317/234 3,569,797 3/1971 Simmons 317/234 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 5/1959 Germany 29/630 G Primary Examiner-W. TupmanAttorney, Agent, or Firm-l-lerbert L. Lerner ABSTRACT 2 Claims, 5Drawing Figures METHOD OF MAKING SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT WITH SHEETMETAL CONNECTOR LEADS The present application is a divisional ofapplication SercNo. 18,797, filed Mar. 16,1970, now abandoned which inturn is a continuation of application Ser. No.

719,193, filed Apr. 5, 1968, now abandoned.

The invention relates to a semiconductor p-n junction device with asemiconductor body of monocrystalline material preferably silicon, whoseelectrodes, pertaining to the p-type and n-type regions of thecrystalline body, are soldered to respective connector leads of metalformed by punchings of foil or sheet material.

The manufacture of such semiconductor devices has involved considerabledifficulties and cost due mainly to the amount of work needed prior tothe soldering operation for properly mounting the usually minutesemiconductor body between the connector leads.

It is an object of our invention to minimize such difficulties and cost.

To this end, and in accordance with our invention we provide eachconnector lead in a semiconductor device of the above-mentionedkind withone or more springy clamping lugs directed toward the other connectorlead and located beside the clamping lug of the other connector lead. Wefurther clamp the semiconductor body between the springy clamping lugsof two'adjacent connector leads and solder the body to the lugs.

The production of such a semiconductorv deviceis considerably simplifiedbecause the connector leads, including any interconnecting bridgingportion, may be punched out of a strip of sheet material in such amanner that all of the connector leads still remain interconnected atone of the respective ends through an auxiliary bridging piece. Thisbridging piece not only secures the spatial coordination of theindividual connector leads during soldering operation, but also has theconsequence that when the individual connector leads are being bent outof their originally common plane, they will spring back into this plane.For preparing the soldering of the semiconductor bodies to the connectorleads, this being preferably done by immersion soldering, thesemiconductor bodies need only be clamped between the lugs of twoadjacent connector leads. The force then exerted by the springy lugsupon the semiconductor body, presuming a corresponding dimensioning ofthe sheet out of which the connector leads are punched, will besufficient to hold the semiconductor bodies in the desired positionduring the immersion soldering operation. The soldering results in astructural unit, for example a completely wired rectifier bridge networkinclusive of its connector leads, so that the auxiliary bridging piececan now be severed off, if desired after the entire unit is embedded ina casting or pressing mass from which only the connector leads and theauxiliary bridging piece protrude.

As a rule it will be sufficient if one of the two connec- 2 sired shapefor example rectangular, triangular or semicircular shape.

Particular advantages are ofiered by the invention if at least a middleconector lead is provided between two outer connector leads of a singledevice unit, and if the middle connector lead is provided with lugscomplementary to those of the respective adjacent connector leads.'Asemiconductor body or several such bodies operating electrically inparallel can then be soldered between'the lugs of two such adjacentconnector leads. The semiconductor bodies may have respective regions ofthe same doping type in connection with one and the same connector lead,or differently doped regions of the respective semiconductors may beconnected with the same connector lead, depending upon whether a seriesconnection composed of at least two semiconductor bodies or a mid-pointcircuit is involved, or whether the connector lead is to constitute adirectvoltage tenninal or an alternating-voltage terminal of a bridgenetwork.

Adjacent connector leads of a unit having several such connector leads,may extend toward one and the same side away from the lugs or they mayextend alternately toward different, mutually opposed directions awayfrom these lugs. Accordingly the connector leads may be provided withbridging pieces on one or on both sides, and individual bridging piecesmay serve the function of electrical connections which are notseveredoff upon completion of the structural unit.

In an arrangement in which the connector leads alternately extendin'opposed directions away from the lugs, the semiconductor bodies arepreferably soldered between the lugs of adjacent connector leads in sucha manner that all connector leads protruding toward one side constitutedirect-current terminals, and all connector leads protruding to theother side constitute alternating-current terinals of a multiphaserectifier bridge.

The structural unit obtained after performing the soldering operationmay be embedded in an insulating casting or pressing mass out of whichonly the connector leads protrude. However the soldered unit may also beinserted into a flat housing of synthetic plastic whose lateral wallsare provided with guide-slots for the two outermost connector leads; andthe inner space of the housing may then be. filled with a'casting orpressing mass. Suitable for this purpose are thermoplastics orduroplastics, a hardener and a softener being preferably added to thelatter. A further addition of silicone resin permits making these massesvirtually impermeable to water.

Several embodiments of the invention will be further described by way of.example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG.1 shows an embodiment with a semiconductor body fastened between twoconnector leads;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment with two semiconductor bodies between threeconnector leads;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a punching for a rectifier bridge with aninternal connection of the two outer connector leads; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section through a housing with a rectifier bridgeaccording to FIG. 4.

Functionally corresponding items are designated by the same referencecharacters in all figures. Thus, the semiconductor member is denoted byl, the connector 3 leads by numerals 2 and 3, the auxiliary bridgingpieces by numeral 4, and the housing by numeral 6.

FIG. 1 illustrates two connector leads 2 and 3 which project away froman auxiliary bridging piece 4 and extend substantially parallel to eachother, being separated by a relatively narrow, punched-out slit.

The connector lead 3 has a lug 30 which protrudes into a correspondingrecess 20 surrounded by protrusions or lugs 21 and 22. The semiconductormember 1 is located between the protrusions 21, 22 and the protrusion30. The member 1, as particularly apparent from FIG. 2, consists of asemiconductor body 10 of monocrystalline material, particularly silicon,having at least one p-n junction to whose electrodes there are fastened,for example by soldering, particular electrode bodies 11 and 12.The'semiconductor member is held in' the position shown in FIG. 2 by therestoring force of the connector leads 2 and 3 bent out of theiroriginally common plane, and this holding effect persists during thesubsequent soldering operation. After such soldering operation, the unitillustrated in FIG. 1 can be cut along the line 5.

FIG. 3 shows a twindevice with a middle connector lead 34 which is inmeshing relation on two sides through protruding lugs 30 withcomplementary recesses of two adjacent connector leads 2. Semiconductormembers denoted by l are located between each two adjacent connectorleads. These members may be connected with the middle connector lead 34at respective regions doped for the same type of conductivity,or dopedfor different types of conductivity respectively. Consequently, thisunit constitutes a mid-point circuit or two branches of a rectifierbridge.

The three connector leads are originally connected with each other by anauxiliary bridging piece 4 which is severed off along the line after thesoldering operation or, as the case may be, after embedding the unit bypressing into an insulating material.

The punching shown in FIG. 4 can be used for constructing a rectifierbridge. For this purpose, the semiconductor bodies are placed betweenthe individual connector leads in such a manner that the connector lead24 interconnects regions having the same type of doping, while theconnector lead 25 interconnects regions having all the same doping ofthe other type. These two connector leads then constitute thedirectcurrent terminals of the bridge, whereas the alternating-voltageterminals are formed by the connector leads 3 and 34. The two outerconnector leads 3 are connected with each other through a bridging piece41, so that only the middle connector lead 34 and one of the two outerconnector leads 3 need by connected with the alternating-voltage supplylines. It is advisable to select the spacing betwen the connecting leadsso that it corresponds to the standardized raster dimension (2.5 mm orn. 2.5).

FIG. 5 shows in cross section a housing with a rectifier bridge formedwith the aid of a punching according to FIG. 4. The punching is held inthe housing 6 at the two outer connector leads 3 between projections 61and 62.

We claim:

1. A method of producing a semiconductor device component with at leastone semiconductor body of monocrystalline material having at least onep-n junction and one first electrode which is provided with a projectionof a first connection lead comprising sheet metal and one secondelectrode provided with a second connecting lead comprising sheet metal,which comprises:

a. punching out the first and the second connecting leads from a singlepiece of sheet metal so that said connecting leads remain interconnectedvia an auxiliary bridge, while the ends of said connecting leadssituated opposite said auxiliary bridge are punched out simultaneouslyso that said first connecting lead has a projection and said second connecting lead has a recess into which said second connecting leadextends, at least one of the connecting leads being punched out so thatit has a second recess which is positioned on the side facing away fromsaid projection;

b. clamping a semiconductor body between the projection of said firstconnecting lead and the end of said second connecting lead opposite saidauxiliary bridge;

c. soldering the projection of said first connecting lead with the firstelectrode and soldering the second connecting lead with the secondelectrode;

d. installing the connecting leads and the semiconductor bodies into aninsulated housing and removing the auxiliary bridge;

e. the method also including simultaneously punching out a third, fourthand fifth connecting lead with the two first connecting leads, which arepositioned adjacent to the first and second connecting leads and extendin parallel thereto, the first and fifth outer connecting leads havingone projection, respectively, and the second, third and fourthconnecting leads having two projections each, so that a total of foursemiconductor bodies can be clamped and soldered between and with saidprojectionsj and r f. punching out simultaneously with the connectingleads, a lead interconnecting the first and the fifth connecting leads,said interconnecting lead extending on the side of the connecting leadsfacing away from the auxiliary path, whereby the semiconductors are soclamped with respect to their forward direction, between saidprojections, and soldered thereon, that a. single phase rectifier bridgeresults.

connecting lead remains interconnected with the first and fifthconnecting leads,

c. clamping said four semiconductor bodies between pairs of adjacentclamping lugs,

d. soldering said clamping lugs to said semiconductor bodies,

e. embedding the connecting leads and semiconductor bodies into aninsulated housing while said auxiliary bridge and said additionalconnecting lead remain intact,

f. and removing said auxiliary bridge after the connecting leads andsemiconductor bodies have been embedded in said insulated housing.

1. A method of producing a semiconductor device component with at leastone semiconductor body of monocrystalline material having at least onep-n junction and one first electrode which is provided with a projectionof a first connection lead comprising sheet metal and one secondelectrode provided with a second connecting lead comprising sheet metal,which comprises: a. punching out the first and the second connectingleads from a single piece of sheet metal so that said connecting leadsremain interconnected via an auxiliary bridge, while the ends of saidconnecting leads situated opposite said auxiliary bridge are punched outsimultaneously so that said first connecting lead has a projection andsaid second connecting lead has a recess into which said secondconnecting lead extends, at least one of the connecting leads beingpunched out so that it has a second recess which is positioned on tHeside facing away from said projection; b. clamping a semiconductor bodybetween the projection of said first connecting lead and the end of saidsecond connecting lead opposite said auxiliary bridge; c. soldering theprojection of said first connecting lead with the first electrode andsoldering the second connecting lead with the second electrode; d.installing the connecting leads and the semiconductor bodies into aninsulated housing and removing the auxiliary bridge; e. the method alsoincluding simultaneously punching out a third, fourth and fifthconnecting lead with the two first connecting leads, which arepositioned adjacent to the first and second connecting leads and extendin parallel thereto, the first and fifth outer connecting leads havingone projection, respectively, and the second, third and fourthconnecting leads having two projections each, so that a total of foursemiconductor bodies can be clamped and soldered between and with saidprojections; and f. punching out simultaneously with the connectingleads, a lead interconnecting the first and the fifth connecting leads,said interconnecting lead extending on the side of the connecting leadsfacing away from the auxiliary path, whereby the semiconductors are soclamped with respect to their forward direction, between saidprojections, and soldered thereon, that a single phase rectifier bridgeresults.
 2. A method of producing a semiconductor device with at leastfour semiconductor bodies and at least five sheet metal connecting leadsarranged to form a rectifier bridge which comprises; a. punching outfive connecting leads from a single piece of sheet metal so that saidconnecting leads remain interconnected via an auxiliary bridge, b.simultaneously punching the ends of said connecting leads situatedopposite said auxiliary bridge to form clamping lugs therewith while anadditional connecting lead remains interconnected with the first andfifth connecting leads, c. clamping said four semiconductor bodiesbetween pairs of adjacent clamping lugs, d. soldering said clamping lugsto said semiconductor bodies, e. embedding the connecting leads andsemiconductor bodies into an insulated housing while said auxiliarybridge and said additional connecting lead remain intact, f. andremoving said auxiliary bridge after the connecting leads andsemiconductor bodies have been embedded in said insulated housing.